White House reviews EPA airplane emissions plan

The White House is reviewing the first step the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to take toward regulating greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes.

The filings sent to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget Monday include the EPA’s craft conclusion of whether or not aircraft pollution harms the environment and what the EPA might do to restrict emissions.

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The White House’s review is the final step before the EPA can unveil the documents and solicit input from the public.

The EPA first said in September that it would undertake the process of determining whether to regulate greenhouse gases from airplane engines.

It would extend the EPA’s reach for greenhouse gas restrictions beyond motor vehicles and major buildings, and into the $200 billion a year commercial aviation sector.

The EPA’s research process will also determine the role that the United States should play in efforts by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization.

That body is undergoing an effort toward international greenhouse gas limits for newly manufactured planes, and the EPA will have to decide whether it should align with the international standards or go a different route.